Fabricatable metal laminate composite



United States Patent 3,511,741 FABRICATABLE METAL LAMINATE COMPOSITE Gerald Brent Elder, Stamford, Conn., assignor to American Cyanamid Company, Stamford, Conn., 21 corporation of Maine No Drawing. Continuation-impart of application Ser. No. 480,781, Aug. 18, 1965. This application May 16, 1966, Ser. No. 550,133 7 Int. Cl. D03d 3/00 US. Cl. 161-73 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 480,781, filed Aug. 18, 1965, now abandoned.

This invention relates to metal laminates. More particularly, this invention relates to metal laminates composed -of an elastomeric adhesive having a metal layer on at least one planar surface thereof, said adhesive having embedded therein a woven, stress-raising member. Still more particularly, this invention relates to metal laminates, preferably composed of two metal sheets bonded together with a rubbery adhesive which has a woven stress-raising member embedded therein.

Metal laminates are known in the art and have been the subject of numerous patents. Most laminates are satisfactory for many commercial uses but fail in at least one of three important categories which are essential for commercial use, i.e. sound damping, lightweight and formability. That is to say, most commercial metal laminates do not sufliciently damp mechanical vibration as to allow their usage in, for example, kitchen cabinets, electronic relay chassis, instrument cabinets, base plates for motors,

and the like. Additionally, when they are made into such articles as doors, etc. they are generally too heavy and have too low a strength to weight ratio to be practical. Additionally, many commercial metal laminates fail because of their inability to be formed into various shapes without delaminating, i.e. the laminate fails when being deep drawn, welded, etc. into the configuration desired by the ultimate consumer. Therefore, it becomes more r commercially practical to utilize other forms of construction.

I have now found that metal to metal-laminates can be prepared without the accompanying undesirable features of other laminates mentioned above. To be more specific my laminates may be formed into intricate shapes such as 90 bends, 180 bends, Pittsburg Lock seams and Pexto elbow edges, etc. They may be fabricated, joined and post-formed by spot welding, seam welding, soldering, punching, riveting, tapping, etc. using conventional equipment.

Furthermore, they may be bent, deep drawn, joined, sawed and worked without delaminating, much in the same manner as solid sheet metal. Additionally, my novel laminates have unique vibration damping properties and in some cases increased thermal insulation behavior as compared to readily available commercial laminates. They also have a greater strength to weight ratio than solid core metal laminates.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide metal laminates.

3,511,741 Patented May 12, 1970 It is a further object of the present invention to provide metal laminates composed of a rubbery adhesive having a metal layer bonded to at least one of its surfaces, said adhesive having a woven stress-raising member embedded therein.

'It is still a further object of the present invention to provide metal laminates preferably composed of two metal layers bonded together with a rubbery adhesive which has a woven stress-raising member embedded therein.

These and other objects of the present invention will become more apparent to one skilled in the art upon reading the more detailed description set forth hereinbelow.

My novel laminates, as mentioned briefly above, are composed of 1) a metal layer bonded to (2) a film of rubbery adhesive which has a woven stress-raising member embedded therein. My laminates can provide, in economical fashion, products which have a favorable aesthetic appearance and also exhibit the desirable and neces sary properties of non-laminated metal sheets.

British Pat. No. 951,266 teaches a typical commercially available metal laminate over which my laminates are an improvement. The laminates of said patent are also composed of two or more metal layers bonded with an adhesive. There is present therein, however, a sheet of flexible polymeric resin which is adhered to each sheet of metal. It is this polymeric sheet which provides the patented laminate with its structural properties.

My laminates do not contain such a polymeric sheet bonded to each metal layer. I can produce laminates which have properties at least equivalent to, and in most cases better than, those of the product shown in the British patent, without utilizing the extraneous sheet of polymer.

I achieve my excellent results by the unique combination of a metal layer and an adhesive layer which has a woven stress-raising member embedded therein. The use of the woven stress-raising member imparts a very high non-linear vibration damping to the resulting product.

More specifically, I have found that I can produce metal products, preferably laminates of at least two layers of metal, which dampen sound due to vibration, to the extent that the resulant laminate may be used for applications hereinbefore believed impossible.

'In their basic form, my products are composed of one metal sheet which has bonded to it, the rubbery adhesive having embedded therein the woven stress-raising mem has laminated on or bonded to one or both surfaces thereof, a second metal sheet or layer. The core layer can be the same metal or a different metal than the surface layer. The core metal layer additionally, may be, (a) solid, (b) perforated, i.e. possess an open area, (c) striated (embossed), i.e. grooved, etc. on its planar surface, or (d) folded.

If perforated cores are used, the perforations may be circular, oval, rectangular, square, diamond shaped, etc. or random shaped holes. The size of the perforation used depends-upon the intended application. For example, if the laminate is to be used in architectural areas, it is preferred that the hole diameter be not greater than the thickness of the surface layer so that depressions of the surface metal into the holes will not form when bending pressure is applied to the laminate during forming, thereby marring too severely the appearance of the surface layer. On the other hand, if some aesthetic purpose due While the particular sizes, shapes, etc. of the perforations in the base metal layer are not critical, the open area of the metal core can range from about to about 95%, of the base metal. Optimum properties of the resultant laminates are achieved with base metals havrn open areas'of from about to about 75%.

The base ,core metal layer, as mentioned above, may

alternatively be striated. The striations or embossings may be of any design or configuration with such designs as grooves, squares, diamonds, lines, pits and the like,

being exemplary. No particular advantage or disadvan-' tage, however, is obtained in the properties of the resultant laminate by the use of any specific design, other than a resultant decorative effect caused by the pressure jcon'solidation of the laminate. That is to say, since the outer metal layer is generally thinner than the base or core layer, the pressure used in the consolidation technique causes the outer layer to be pressed into the striations on the base layer thereby causing a decorative design to be embossed onto the outer surface thereof.

The size of the striations used also generally depend upon the intended application and the exterior design de-' I 5% to about 80%, preferably l5%-75% of the total surface area of the base or core metal. The width of the striations may vary from about 0.005 inch' to about 1 inch, preferably 0.01 inch to about 4 inch, and may all be equally or randomly placed.

The core layers may vary in thickness over a relatively large span. It is considered practical, however, to utilize 'a thickness ranging from about 5 to 1000 mils. The core layer, for most applications, should be at least about twice the thickness of as the foil, skin or surface metal layer, which, practically, with or without the core layer, should range in thickness from about 1-100 mils. Cores and skins of the same thickness may, however, be used.

Many types of metals may be utilized to produce my laminates with stainless steel as the thin layer and carbon steel or aluminum as the thicker base layer, being preferred. Other metals such as zinc, gold, galvanized carbon steel, aluminum coated carbon steel, magnesium, copper, brass, titanium, lead, nickel, silver, nickel alloys and the like may also be utilized as the top layer or core layer of my novel laminates without departing from the scope of the present invention. Double layers of each metal may also be used, e.g. aluminum on aluminum.

My novel laminates are useful in such applications as architectural devices such as mullions, window tracks, window frames, elevator doors and panels, etc. automotive parts, tractor and truck bodies, household structures such as kitchen panels, trim, closet doors, door frames and panels, bathroom panels, shower stalls and cabinets, furnace housings, garage doors, industrial articles such as ducts and exhaust hoods, corrosion resistant chambers, building panels, electronic equipment panels and chassis, instrument cabinets, Wall plates, vending machines and the like. Military space applications are also within the realm of applications for my laminates.

As indicated above, the unique feature of the laminates of the instant invention resides in the adhesive layer which. is used as a backing or bonding material for the metals mentioned above. These adhesives may consist of any rubbery or elastomeric material known to those in the art which has a dynamic glass transition temperature at or below the working temperature at which the laminate is to be ultimately used.

I have found that when such an adhesive is employed and has embedded therein a woven stress-raising member, the unique damping properties mentioned above are produced.

the local stress in the adhesive and distributes the stress through the adhesive layers. These members may be in the form of a braid, reticulation, mesh, net, sieve, screen, etc. and may be interlaced, intertwined, tangled or otherwise intertwisted.

I have found that the addition of the stress-raising member to the adhesive causes the adhesive to behave differently. While not wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that the following discussion will, at least, provide one explanation of this phenomenon.

Any sudden discontinuity in a stressed solid will induce stress concentration at that point. The stress concentration factor is dependent on the geometrical configuration of the. discontinuity and may range from slightly more than one to a hundred or more.

In a viscoelastic material such as a rubbery adhesive, the energy required to strain the material at low stresses is almost completely recoverable when the stress is removed, i.e. there is no damping of the motion. At higher stress levels, the energy is no longer recoverable and is dissipated in the material, i.e. there is damping.

Discontinuities, such as wires or screens, etc. provided by the woven member, in the adhesive layer of a metal laminate, increase the local stress in the adhesive layer. This places more of the low level stresses, recoverable without this layer, into the non-recoverable or damping region. At higher amplitudes, the wires etc. distribute the stress over a wide area and stress the adhesive into the damping region. The overall result is a broad range damping metal laminate.

The stress-raising members used herein may be linear or random in configuration. They may contain individual, attached or non-attached, parallel, straight or bent members or attached or non-attached, perpendicular,

straight or bent members, having the same or a different number of members per inch on each side thereof. The woven members may contain from 1 to 1000 strands, preferably 3-100, to the inch and may differ in number of strands in either direction.

The stress-raising members may be composed of any material, with such materials as metals, natural or synthetic polymers, i.e. poly(vinylidene chloride), po1y(acrylonitrile), poly(methyl methacrylate), etc. neoprenecoated paper, glass, asbestos, paper, polymer-coated fiberglass, and the like being exemplary. As mentioned above, they may be used in the form of wire, wire mesh, screening, cloth, and the like.

The thickness of the woven stress-raising member-is not critical and is governed primarily by the thickness of the adhesive layer which may vary from about .1 mil to about 1 inch, preferably, from about .5 mil to /2 inch, the woven member being somewhat thinner than the adhesive layer so that it isembedded herein.

A further restriction on the instant invention is that both the woven stressraising member and the bonded metal layers should be ductile and flexible.

Any adhesive which is rubbery and has the appropriate dynamic glass transition temperature, as mentioned above, may be used.

Examples of applicable adhesives include polyvinylacetates, and vinyl acetate copolymers, polysulfides and epoxy-polysulfide mixtures, butyl rubber-based adhesives,

A preferred group of adhesives useful herein are the glycidyl benzyl acrylamide, the diglycidyl ether of 2,2- polyurethane-based adhesives, i.e. those adhesives pro bis(p-hydroxyphenyl) propane and other aryl or alkyl duced by so modifying polyurethane resins so as to create glycidyl esters or ethers known in the art. Resinous glyadhesive properties thereimSuch adhesives are well known cidyl esters, including dimers and trimers etc. of monoin the art and further discussion thereof herein is not meric epoxy compounds, as well as such materials as e.g. deemed to be necessary. epoxidized polyesters, i.e. those resins produced by the A more preferred group of adhesives are those specifiepoxidation of unsaturated polyester resins, e.g. those cally set forth and claimed in at least one of the followspecified above, and epoxidized polyolefins containing exing pending US. patent application: Ser. No. 274,911, tensive unsaturation as are produced by the polymerizafiled Apr. 23, 1963, now abandoned; Ser. No. 296,916, tion of a polyunsaturated olefin such as butadiene or isofiled July 23, 1963, now abandoned; Ser. No. 380,914, prene either alone or in admixture with minor proportions filed July 7, 1964, now abandoned, and which applicaof monoethylenically unsaturated monomers such as butions are hereby incorporated herein by reference. tene-l, ethylene, propylene, styrene, vinyl toluene, etc. Briefly, these adhesivesare composed of the following These polydiolefins are liquid resins and are sub ected to ingredients: epoxidaticiln for example, peracetiltl: acid, to partially convert t e 0e nic unsaturation in t e resin to epoxy Z gg gggg ai g i and groups, some of which are internal, e.g., positioned along (C) a glycidyl ester the resin chain and others of which are terminal, e.g.,

I positioned at the termination of branches formed by the Q 2 Subsmute or m addition to an ammo 20 incorporation of a diolefin such as butadieue into the resin chain through one of its double bond extending away g gi ggi g for (1)) n m addmon to an from the resin chain. The epoxidation process generally (F) in additian to components (A) (B) (C) and (E) is not carried to completion, leaving some unsaturationp as a site for addition polymerization. The epoxidation a Polyethylemcauy unsaturated compound process may also provide some hydroxyl functionality in Although generally any known polyurethane may be the resultant resin.

used, the polyether based resins, i.e. those produced from These unsaturated epoxy resins are (1) liquid at 23 polyalkylene ether, thioether or ether-thioether glycols C., (2) have an iodine number of at least 100 and (3) which have been reacted with a suitable isocyanate comhave an epoxide equivalent weight in the range of from pound and those prepared from linear polyesters contain- 100-300 (number of grams of resin containing 1 gram ing a plurality of isocyanate-reactive hydroxyl groups, mole of epoxide). A particularly useful unsaturated such as those produced by condensing a polyhydric alepoxy resin, is a viscous, liquid, partially epoxidized polycohol with a polycarboxylic acid or anhydride, are prebutadiene having a viscosity'of 1800 poises at 25 C., an

ferred. US. Pat. No. 2,729,618 teach examples of vari epoxide equivalent weight of 177, 2.5%, by weight, of ous polyurethanes which may be used as components in hydroxyl and an iodine number of 185.

the resins used herein and also procedures for the pro- The bisphenol-epichlorohydrin type of epoxy resins duction thereof, said patents being incorporated herein may also be used. For example, such resinous epoxy maby reference. terials as those having the formula;

wherein X is at least 2, and those having the formula (1' wherein y is at least 1. These polymeric epoxides are well A polyurethane resin system which has been found to known in the art as are methods for their production.

be exceptionally useful is composed of a polyester of These glycidyl additives may be added, as such, in ratios adipic acid and ethylene glycol which has been reacted of from about 1:2 parts to about 1:16 parts of the glycidyl with methylene diphenylisocyanate. The resultant prodester or ether to the polyurethane, respectively, with uct is then further reacted with 1,4-butanediol. When amounts ranging from about 1:4 parts to 1:10 parts being polyurethane resins of this type are utilized, no curing preferred.

agent need be p y In place of, or in conjunction with, the glycidyl esters The polyurethane may necessitate curing, however, in and ethers, an aminosilane such as gamma-aminoproorder to give the optimum results. If such curing is necpyltriethoxysilane, delta-aminobutyldiethoxy silane, gamessary, as determined by art recognized means, curing ma-aminopropyltripropoxysilane, gamma aminopropylagents such as 4,4-diamino-diphenyl-methane, 4,4'-methmethy d et o y gamma-aminopropylethyldiethQXy' ylene-bis-2-orthochloroaniline and the like may be used. silane, gamma-aminopropylphenyldiethoxysilane, delta- Ranges of from 0%-200%, preferably 20%-160%, of aminobutyltriethoxysilane, delta-aminobutylethyldiethoxythe stoichiometric equivalent of the polyurethane resin, silane, delta aminobutylphenyldiethoxysilane, gammabased on its isocyanate group (NCO) content, are satisaminobutylmethyldiethoxysilane, gamma aminobutyltrifactory. ethoxysilane and the like, in concentrations ranging from The glycidyl ethers or esters useful as components in about. 0.1% to about 4.0%, y Weight, based on the these adhesives include diglycidyl esters, diglycidyl ethers, Weight of the polyurethane resin, may also be used. monoethylenically unsaturated monoglycidyl esters and Furthermore, if the glycidyl ester or ether is utilized, an ethers, examples of which include glycidyl methacrylate, epoxy silane, such as gamma-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxyglycidyl acrylate,allyl glycidyl ether, diglycidyl phthalate, silane, in amounts ranging from 0.1% to 10.0%, by

weight, based on the total weight of the adhesive per se, can be produced both by a continuous method whereby may be used inaddition thereto. rolls of metal are continually coated with adhesive and An additional component which may be used in comfed to evaporation (optional), curing and nipping zones bination with the polyurethane resin, the amine curing or in a bulk method whereby the layers are individually agent, the glyicdyl ester or ether and the epoxy silane, coated with adhesive, such as by spraying, and subjected comprises a polyethylenically unsaturated compound such to heat and pressure consolidation.

as tetrallyl'melamine, trimethylolpropanetrimethacrylate, The following examples are set forth for purposes of divinyl benzene, triallylphosphate, triallylamine, ethylene illustration only and are not to be construed as limitaglycol dimethacrylate, diallylphthalate, 1,4-di(viny1oxy) tions on the instant invention except as set forth in the butane and the like,in concentrations of up to about 20%, appended claims. All parts and percentages are by weight by Weight, based on the total weight of the adhesive comunless otherwise specified. position per se. 1

Before applying the adhesive to the metal, the metal Examp e 1 should preferably be chemically clean. This may be TWO 10 mil Sheets of aluminum are achieved by working the metal with hot aqueous lk li coated with 1 mil of a commercially available rubbery or acid solution. The adhesive is preferably used as a adhesive mp d of 100 Parts Of a polychloroprene 40-50% solution in 'a solvent (such as methyl ethyl kebase and 35 P of nv -p -f rm y tone) and may be applied to the metal by brushing, resin in benzol having a yroller coating, curtain coating or spraying techniques and na-mic glass tl'ansiliml temperature of one Of the the like. coatings is embedded with /2" x 9" section of polyethyl- The laminates of the instant invention are prepared ene woven screen, 1 mil thick, having 14 strands per inch.

by coating one or both sides of the metal layers to be The coated side of the other sheet is then placed upon bonded together with an adhesive, adding the woven the coated side of the embedded sheet. The entire strucstress-raising member, evaporating off the solvent, placture is then heated to 155 C. to cure the adhesive, cooled ing the metal layers together under pressure to form the to room temperature and tested as follows:

laminate and curing the adhesive. The solvent in the ad- The structure is clamped one inch from one end, de-

Yhesive may then be'more fully evaporated ofi? at 70l20 flected one inch at the free end and released. The time C. and the adhesive is then preferably cured at 110-160 required for the vibrations to decay to $5 at the free I ,C. for 2-3 minutes. With the polyurethane adhesives, the end is then measured and recorded. The results of the layers are pressed together at 50-100 p.s.i. and posttest and the strength to weight ratio of the sample of cured at l40 l C. for 8-16 hours. The adhesives Example 1 and other samples, producedaccording to Exl may also be utilized as solvent-free systems whereby no ample 1, both exemplary and comparative, are set forth 1 evaporation step is necessary before curing. My laminates below in Tables I and II.

TABLE I Adhesive- Ofiset Test See Table Density Modulus Yield (0.2%) Results, Ex. Sample I Code (gJcmfi) (p.s.i.X10 (p.s.i.Xl0 MID Y/D Seconds l 10 mil aluminum on 2 sides 01' adhesive-embedded polyeth- 1. 188 0. 5. 8 16. 3 1. 35 3. 9

ylene screen.

2 do 1. 194 0. 77 6.7 17.8 1. 55 4.8 3... 10 mil aluminum on 2 sides 01 adhesive-embedded stainless 2.316 4. 10 40. 3 56. 2 l. 0!. 2.4

4 s lig l ii 'i 2o mlllthi k a 0 a ummum s cc comp. c 710 d. 78 77. 4 70. 7 7. 32.0 5 Solid stainless steel (comp.) sheet, 25 mil/thick 7. 950 15. 20 86. B 53. 8 3. 00 35. 2

Code for Table I:

I Same as that of Example 1. 1 Adhesive produced from 3 parts of glycidyl methacrylate, 1 part of 3 3'-mcthylenebis-ortho-ehloranillne and 0.35 part of armna-glycidoxyr0 yltrlmethoxysilane blended with 12 parts of a /60 ethyleneglycol/ propyleneglyeol adlpate based commercially available polyurethane res in rid 0.01 part of 2.5-d1methyl-2.5-di(t-butylperoxy)hexane in methylethylketone; glass transition temperature of -36 C.

Secured at crossings. M=Modulus; D=Density; Y=Flexural Yield Strength.

TABLE II R it Ex. Adhesive-See Code Table 1 Sample 5:55 :15; 6 Laminate of perforated aluminum 53% open area, 40 mil thick; having 10 mil aluminum adhered to 19. 15 both sides; no stress-raiser added.

7 10 mil aluminum adhered on both sides of adhesive-embedded polyvinyl chloride mesh, 34" square 0. 5

- openings; 4 strands to the inch. 8.--..- 10 aluminum on both sides of adhesive-embedded 20 ply cotton filter cloth, strands to the 2. 6

c 9--.- Diamond patterned striated aluminum, 40 mil-both sides having 10 mil aluminum adhered thereto; 2. 9

. pclyvinylchlonde cloth embedded in adhesive, 50 strands to the inch. 10... Diamond patterned striated aluminum, 40 mil-both sides having 10 mil aluminum adhered thereto; 4. l

. polyvinylchloride coated fiberglass embedded in adhesive, 20 strands to the inch. 11 Wire screen (10 strands to the inch). embedded in adhesive coated on one side of 20 mil lead sheet. 3. 2 12--. Perforated core, 37% open area; carbon steel, 40 mil; 10 mil copper coated on both sides; copper 3. 9

. mesh w re, 1,000 strands to the inch, embedded in adhesive.

13..--- Same (lmammi ate as Ex. 6 except polyvinyl chloride coated fiberglass; 3 strands to the inch-embedded 0. 5

- m a as ve. A Same laminate as Ex. ll except intertwisted hemp embedded in adhesive 8. 1 15..-.- Polyvinyl acetate-dynamic Same laminate as Ex. 8 except wire screen, 80 strands to the inch-embedded in adhesive 4. 7

sizgstransition temperature,

16..." B -1 Same as Example 1. 4. 17....-- C Same as Example 3 4. i)

* Secured at crossings.

A=Adipic acid-ethylene glycol-1, 4-butane diol polyester reacted with methylene diphenyl isocyanate as the polyurethane base-all other components equivalent to adhesive of Table I.

B=Samo as adhesive except that the glycidyl methacrylste is replaced by a commercially available liquid, partially cpoxidized polybutadiene having aviscosity oi. 1,800 poises at 25 C. an epoxide equivalent of 177 and an iodine number of 185.

O =Same as adhesive except that the glycidyl methacrylate is, replaced by a commercially available resinous epoxide llavlng a structure similar to Formula 1, above, and a viscosity of 1,900 poises at 23 C. and an epoxide content of 9%.

I claim:

1. A metal structure comprising at least two metal layers bonded together with a non-foamed polyurethane resin-based adhesive having (1) a dynamic glass transition temperature of not more than about the temperature at which the structure is to be used and (2) embedded therein a metal screen which acts as a stress-raising member.

2. A metal structure according to claim 1 wherein at least one of said metal layers is striated.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,770,521 7/1930 Hayes .181-33.1

Ledwinka l61-113 X Van Cleef 181-33.1 Simon et a1 156-79 McDermott 248-24 Boivin 181--33.1 Helbing et a1. 18133.1 Sherrard et a1 181--33.11 Kerwin 18133 Denenberg 161113 10 JOHN T. GOOLKASIAN, Primary Examiner C. B. COSBY, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R.

4/1940 surprenant 15 16174,84,89,190,213;18133;24821 

